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Sunday, 1 June 2014

Review: The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Selection changed the lives of
thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be
chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself
anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition
approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious,
America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to
fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this
#1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept
them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a
satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over
this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

Review:

I have been putting off this review because I didn’t know
how I could do the book justice (or do it spoiler free without
ranting/fangirling) and that’s why I’m keeping it short.

After finishing The Elite my main concern was whether or not
America would once again be a whiny, judgemental, and plain right annoying girl
but after she made her decision I am overjoyed to say that she truly tries to
stick with it and it’s not one of those snap-back emotional decisions we’ve
seen her make too many times to count. She also finally sticks up for herself instead of cowering in the corner
then escaping as quickly as possible to go cry in her room, she even talks back
to the King! Who we can safely say doesn’t get that a lot…

Maxon was pure perfection in this book, and this is most
prominent where I can’t explain how much of a great character he is because
while at times he is the most flawed person around, he makes up for it with his
acts of compassion and he always has good intentions under it all. Aspen on the
other hand is still as troublesome as ever, and I don’t like him if only for
the fact that he creates a drift between America and Maxon. HOWEVER, I finally
understand his presence in the book and there’s even a bonus chapter about him in Barnes and Noble’s special
edition of The One.

The plot itself is a mix of everything really: its
heart-wrenching but also heart-warming, it’s fast paced but gives you time to
breathe, it’s somewhat predictable but gives you some whirlwind twists and I
can safely say that it truly pulls on your emotions. I can also say that Kiera
Cass has followed my prayer to include a death(s), but I won’t say who and
don’t think I can anyway without getting worked up. When I said someone needed
to die, this wasn’t what I expected.

Overall The One was an enjoyable ending to The Selection
series tying everything together with a big bow of gratification and I
recommend the whole series including this book, to people to can handle a sometimes
a lot of the time annoying female protagonist!

Favourite Quotes:

“It doesn’t really
matter how you feel about your character; it just matters what you do with it.”

“More time meant more
opportunities to embarrass myself.”

“I told myself this
was probably a bad idea, to let him kiss me into a confession. But, I reasoned,
if there was ever a way to cave, this was it.”

“I want everything
with you, America. I want the holidays and the birthdays, the busy seasons and
lazy weekends. I want peanut butter fingertips on my desk. I want inside joke
and fights and everything. I want a life with you.”

“Break my heart. Break
it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break.”

Disclaimer

I can guarantee that all of my reviews are honest, which includes the reviews I have written based on review copies I have received which are clearly specified. The fact that they are review copies has no impact on my thoughts and opinions stated in the review. I do not receive any form of monetary compensation for my reviews from authors/publishers.